A man who punched a taxi driver in the face has been given a suspended sentence.

Mathew Warner, 27, assaulted the man after he had pulled up outside his home in Sprignall, Bretton, Peterborough, in the early hours of last Sunday morning (January 26).

The victim had picked up Warner from Bourne after police had told him to leave the area as he was drunk.

He was arrested after the victim called police following the assault.

A suspended sentence was given out. Credit: Chris Schmidt.

placeholder image — A suspended sentence was given out. Credit: Chris Schmidt.

Warner admitted assault by beating at Huntingdon Magistrates’ Court last Monday (January 27), and was sentenced to six weeks in prison, suspended for a year.

He was also ordered to pay £200 in compensation to the taxi driver.

PC Harvey, who investigated, said: “The unprovoked assault the victim endured was awful.

“No one should be subjected to violence while trying to do their job, and I would like to thank the victim for contacting us as soon as he could.”